


Jerejean Tumblr prompts

by Autumnalpalmetto



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, mentions of jean's past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2020-09-27 16:16:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20410666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumnalpalmetto/pseuds/Autumnalpalmetto
Summary: Chapters:1: hurt/comfort2: sunrise3: kissing4: baths together, pre relationship5: speaking french6: gifts7:





	1. hurt/comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: if you still want jerejean prompts can you hit me with some pretty serious angsty hurt and comfort and then fluff at the end, like jean not knowing when to stop and Jeremy just wants the best for him and they fight and then make up (and out)

The week before spring break happened to be game free. Most trojans didn’t have classes on Friday because they carefully made their schedules to account for game days. The few plays who did have classes were lucky enough to have the kind professors who canceled class the day before a break starting. Knowing all of that Coach Rhemann made the Friday practice optional. Jeremy had to go because he was captain. Alvarez and Laila went because Jeremy did. And Jean went because the court was going to be closed for the pre-finals cleaning all of the following week and not even Jeremy was allowed in until the Monday after spring break.

The four of them dressed down, warmed up, and ran drills like they normally would, but when no one else showed up by the end of the first hour Jeremy started talking about packing it in. He had to stay in the building until 6 pm when practice would have ended, but he didn’t have to stay on the court. They had a DVD player in the lounge and plenty of movie options to choose from on his laptop.

With all of them being defensive players, there weren’t a lot of options for practicing. Jeremy set up some cones to practice more elaborate passes, but he got bored quickly and Laila couldn’t even participate with her huge goalie racket.

“Let’s call it a day,” Jeremy said a little before 4 pm.

“God, finally. I’m bored out of my mind standing in my box with nothing to do,” Laila said as she took off her gloves.

Alvarez laughed. “You are a saint Jer.”

The three of them made it almost to the court door before they realized that Jean wasn’t following. Instead, he was lining up the cones a few feet away from the far wall.

“Jean?” Jeremy called, having to raise his voice to be heard across the court and through Jean’s helmet.

“Go on,” Jean called back without turning around. “I’m going to do some old drills.”

Jeremy looked at the girls for advice. They both thought it was a good idea to close up so Jeremy walked back onto the court while they went to go shower.

“Hey,” Jeremy said when he was close enough to be heard while speaking at a normal volume. “Let’s start our vacation early.”

“We won’t be able to practice for the next nine days. I’d like to practice until the court closes today.” Jean said. He looked tired and in need of a nice long, relaxing vacation.

Jeremy knew Jean had had a rough couple weeks after getting an essay back with a significantly worse grade than he had expected and then having to deal with all of his midterms being set on just two back-to-back days. Jean had stayed up a night studying the night before and he kind of looked like he was going to pass out. As much as he needed to blow off some steam, Jeremy knew it wasn’t the right time for him to do it on the court. Now Jean needed a snack and a nap.

“Come on, Babe. We just finished dead week, you earned a break.”

“Dead week is for finals, not midterms,” Jean said. Jeremy opened his mouth to argue, but Jean pointed his racket at his chest and continued, “You’re not my mother, you can’t tell me what to do. Practice today is optional, and I am opting in.”

“If your mother was here right now what would she say?” Jeremy froze as soon as the words came out of his mouth. It was a low blow, and they both knew it.

Jean froze for a moment, keeping his face emotionless.

“My mother died when I was four years old,” Jean said slowly and clearly, his voice unnervingly even. “If somehow her corpse was here instead of in Marseille, she would not say anything because dead people don’t have thoughts or emotions. And they sure as fuck can’t talk.”

Jeremy reached toward him. “Jean. That’s not… I shouldn’t have-”

Jean spoke up before Jeremy could finish, “And before you ask what my Father would say, keep in mind that he literally sold me to be tortured every day for the next ten years. Do you know how much 11-year-old boys cost Jeremy Knox? Because I do and it is not as much as you would think.”

“Jean,” Jeremy managed to croak. He was close to crying, and he didn’t want to start in case it made the situation worse.

“Do you mind?” Jean asked as he walked around him to grab a ball, “I’m a bit busy at the moment.”

Jeremy walked off the court at a normal pace, closing the door behind in. Once he was in the lounge, he ripped off his gloves and threw them on the ground. Next, he tore off his helmet and threw it against the wall, causing a loud bang and several trophies to fall over.

“Fuck!” he yelled loud enough for it to echo through the room.

He stood with his back to the wall and started crying, letting himself sink down until he was sitting on the ground with his head on his knees.

A door opened somewhere, and he heard footsteps getting closer to him, but he didn’t look at to see who it was. His teammates had only seen him cry from happiness and he didn’t want anyone to see him now. A barefoot tapped his thigh a couple of times, where his shorts had fallen down due to his position.

“Hey Jer, sweetie what happened?” Laila said in a honey sweet voice.

Jeremy looked up at her and he could feel the tears still coming. He hiccuped through a sentence, but she seemed to get the point.

“I fucked up. Badly. Like, Laila, fuck,” Jeremy said. She sat down right next to him and pulled on his arm until he was basically on her lap, crying on her shoulder. It took a minute until he was able to speak again. “I said something terrible, and he didn’t even react and that was bad. And then he did react, and it was so much worse.”

Laila held him as he cried, rubbing his back and whispering nice things in his ear. Jeremy couldn’t help but think that he’s taken it too far. This would be the thing that Jean couldn’t get past. A few minutes later Jeremy heard another set of soft footsteps approach.

“Hey babe,” Laila said, still using her soft voice. “Can you go get Jean for me and tell him Jeremy really needs him.”

Jeremy tried to sit up. “No, don’t bother him,” he said as he wiped at his eyes. “It’s not a big deal.”

When he pulled his hand away from his eyes, Alvarez was already gone and he let his head all on to Laila’s shoulder as he started sobbing again.

A ball hit Jean’s shoulder, ruining his shot at the last cone. He was annoyed with his frustrating week, his poor performance on this drill, and at himself for snapping at Jeremy. When he first moved to USC he’d snapped at everyone a lot, but it had been a while since he’d completely lost his temper like that.

“What,” he said to Alvarez, who was standing just a few feet behind him.

“Jeremy’s crying about something, and Laila thinks you’d be more helpful than we are,” Alvarez said as she turned and started walking toward the door.

Jean followed behind her, taking off his gloves and helmet as they walked. “Why is he crying?”

“I don’t know, but he’s really fucking upset.”

In the lounge Alvarez waiting by the door while he walked over to where Laila was sitting against the wall with Jeremy, still in his uniform and padding, crying on her shoulder. He ran a hand softly through Jeremy’s hair.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Jean asked. He gently pulled on Jeremy until he looked up at him. “Come here.”

Jeremy threw his arms around Jean’s neck and shoved his face into his shoulder. Jean put one hand in his hair and while the other started rubbing his back.

“You’re okay, Jer,” Jean said. He looked to Laila now standing over them, “Thank you.”

Laila picked up Jeremy’s discarded gloved and helmet, then took Jean’s from Alvarez and walked them into the men’s locker room. When she came out both of the girls left, sending Jean a tense smile.

“Let’s get you out of this gear, yeah?” Jean asked.

He stood up pulling Jeremy with him, then picked him up like a bride. Jeremy stopped crying as he walked, but didn’t say anything. When they got to Jean’s locker he sat down on the bench, keeping Jeremy in his lap and pulled back just enough so that he could see Jeremy’s red and puffy face.

“Oh Love.” Jean kissed Jeremy’s forehead. “What’s wrong, Baby?”

“I said,” Jeremy hiccuped, “and then you-”

He cut himself off as he started crying again. Jean cupped his cheek with one hand and ran the other through his hair, touching their foreheads together.

“I’m so sorry, Jeremy. I should not have lost my temper like that.” Jean said as he wiped a tear away. “I promise I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

Jeremy sighed and wrapped his arms around Jean. “I shouldn’t have-”

“No Jer, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Jeremy nodded and Jean took the chance to lean back and kiss his forehead. Once he was sure Jeremy wasn’t going to start crying again, he carefully helped Jeremy take off his jersey and padding.

“Do you want to shower by yourself?” Jean asked. “I can wait until you’re done.”

Jeremy shook his head and reached for Jean’s hand. Jean pulled him in for a hug, then sat him on the bench so he could take off his own gear and grab their shower supplies. With everything in hand he led Jeremy into the showers and turned on the water.

Showering them both took more effort than Jean had expected because Jeremy kept putting his head on his shoulder and offered no help in washing either of them.

With their hair washed and sweat mostly rinsed off, Jean gave up and turned the water off. They walked back to the lockers to get dress and Jean handed Jeremy his own shirt, hoping it would make him feel a little bit better. Jean talked Jeremy into locking up early, even though they still had nearly an hour left before they were allowed to leave.

On the walk back to their dorms Jean grabbed Jeremy’s hand and kept hold of it until they made it back to their dorm. Jean laid down on the couch and pulled Jeremy on top of him, wrapping him up tightly in his arms. Once they were settled he pulled out his phone and ordered a pizza, salad, and brownies from Dominoes as he stroked Jeremy’s hair.

Jeremy hadn’t said anything since he stopped crying and Jean was sure he was going to fall asleep any minute. He’d been so caught up checking on the entire team for the last two weeks, making sure everyone was okay during midterms, that he hadn’t been taking proper care of himself. Jean thought him snapping at him was probably the last straw. He knew Jeremy hated the way he’d been treated at the nest and he definitely knew better than bringing it up when Jeremy was already stressed.

When the food came, Jean had to leave the building to pick it up, and Jeremy tagged along too, glued to his side. Jeremy picked out a movie while Jean set up the food on the coffee table. Jeremy tried to sit next to Jean, but Jean pulled him on his lap instead.

“Are we okay?” Jeremy asked halfway through the movie, turning around in Jean’s lap so he could see him.

“Yeah Love, we’re good,” Jean said.

He leaned in for a quick kiss, wrapping an arm and around Jeremy and picking him up as he did so. Jean picked up the remote and paused the movie, then carried him to their bed. They settled lying face to face just a few inches apart, with their legs tangled together.

Jeremy leaned in for a kiss, and Jean allowed a quick one then pulled away. He rested one hand on Jeremy’s neck.

“I love kissing you. I truly do,” Jean said as he rubbed his thumb soothing in Jeremy’s hair, “but I don’t know if it’s a good idea when you’re still upset.”

“I’m not upset anymore. I’m not, really I promise. I’m just tired.” Jeremy said.

“Go to sleep.”

Jeremy shook his head and leaned in for another kiss. Jean allowed it this time, letting Jeremy set a sweet, slow pace.


	2. sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: hey so if you still want jerejean prompts what about watching the sunrise together?

Jeremy woke up to dull orange light filling the room. A quick check of the clock told him it was almost time to get up and head to practice. It had been a rare night where Jean hadn’t woken him up in the middle of the night. Normally on those nights, Jeremy would wake up at least once to check on Jean, but that hadn’t happened either.

Looking over to the other bed, Jeremy realized that Jean wasn’t there. He sat up and looked around, finding Jean sitting criss-cross on the floor in front of their large window. December in SoCal was still hot compared to the low temperatures Jeremy was used to at home and he’d taken to leaving the window open when he slept unless it was raining. Jean liked it closed, so they compromised by putting Jeremy’s bed closest to the window and only leaving it cracked.

Jean had his blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he looked out over the soccer field their building was next to. He looked warm and cozy with the soft light washing over his face.

Jeremy couldn’t see the sunrise, but he knew it had to be beautiful for Jean to be looking at it like that. He moved to the foot of his bed so he could see out of the window. The view was nice, he could see why Jean liked it but watching the colors bounce off of Jean’s sharp features was even better.

“Come sit with me,” Jeremy said. If he really tried, he could probably touch Jean’s shoulder from where he was, but he wanted him closer.

“No Jer,” Jean said without looking away from the window. “The view’s better from here.”

“It’s two feet closer,” Jeremy whined. “The bed is warm and cozy.”

Jean didn’t give in, he didn’t even acknowledge that Jeremy had spoken again, too caught up watching the colors change in the sky. Jeremy got up and walked around the foot of his bed, settling down next to Jean. He’s purposely left his blanket on the bed so Jean would wrap his arm around his shoulder and share his.

Jeremy loved watching Jean enjoy the little things in life. He leaned over and laid his head down in Jean’s shoulder, sharing his warmth with the man who was always somehow cold. Jean shifted closer, wrapping his arm tighter around Jeremy and reaching for his hand. Their alarm went off a few minutes later and Jeremy threw a shoe at it to make it stop singing.

They sat there until the colors were gone, replaced with a muted blue. The slow morning meant they had to run to practice, eating nothing but a protein bar each for breakfast, but neither one complained.


	3. Kissing for Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a prompt for you to do whatever comes to your mind: jerejean kissing for HOURS

It took Jeremy and Jean a while to get together. Mutual attraction only meant so much when one of them was the captain, and therefore a superior, and the other was beginning a healing journey from years of pain. Regardless of how they felt, they both needed time to adjust to life in general, as roommates, as friends, as teammates, and as students.This meant that when they finally got together, they turned into a cliche. All they wanted to do was kiss and touch constantly. Jean wasn’t a fan of PDA so they spent all day staring at each other instead of being all over each other like they wanted to. This made it worse when they were finally alone. 

Jean was a very organized person because of his time at the nest. He wrote all of his due dates on a calendar right when he got the syllabus and started the assignments the day that they were assigned. Jeremy, however, had always been a professional procrastinator. Thanks to being an Exy captain and everything he had to do for the team, he always had an excuse to put off his schoolwork. Plus, it was a part of her personality. But when Jean came home from practice and immediately got started on his homework Jeremy did too. He didn’t want to be a distraction, and it ended up helping his grades since he wasn’t staying up late the night before his assignments were due to finish them.  
As soon as Jean said that he was done for the day Jeremy said that he was too, regardless of if he was in the middle of something (as long as it was not due the next day). Jean knew better, but he let Jeremy get away with it every time. 

Jeremy got some dried mangoes and settled down to watch TV. Once as he was settled, leaning on the arm with his legs laying across the entire couch, Jean sat down on his lap and leaned back against his chest. 

With the weight of a fully grown man on top of him, Jeremy started to overheat within minutes. He had always enjoyed being warm after growing up in Southern California, but Jean was hotter than the sun. He sat up, barely managing with all of Jean’s weight against his chest, and stripped his shirt off after Jean took the hint. When they laid back down Jean’s mouth was next to Jeremy’s now bare collar bone. The only logical option was to kiss it, then lick it and blow on the wet spot. Jeremy shivered as chills ran down his body. 

  
Jean rolled over, so they were face to face and kissed him properly. Jeremy felt strong and powerful every time they kissed. He wrapped his arm around Jean’s back and spread his hand out on his strong shoulder. Kissing Jean took his breath away more than anyone else ever had, yet it energized him at the same time. Within minutes he caught a second wind, feeling like he could run an entire marathon without training. His other hand found its way into Jean’s hair, as he pulled Jean’s lip into his mouth. He thought he might die of happiness as Jean hummed in his mouth and took over the kiss, leading them down a more passionate path. 

For Jean kissing had never meant anything. Before Jeremy, he had never had the opportunity to figure it out, but Jeremy was a good teacher and Jean was a quick study. Jeremy was gentle and sweet when he kissed, and there was always time for that, but today Jean needed more. He was twice as rough with Jeremy as Jeremy was with him, and they both loved it. Jean loved being able to take over control and follow what felt best to him, so far Jeremy had never complained. He was winded as he tilted his head to change their position, refusing to take a break for air in the meantime. There was no question that he was safe in Jeremy’s arms, so taking a deep breath wasn’t a top priority. Wrapping his arm around Jeremy’s bicep, he felt the tight muscle that would only protect him. 

When Jeremy broke the kiss, nearly gasping for air, Jean decided to kiss up his neck instead. Jeremy grabbed at the back of Jean’s shirt and whined until Jean kissed him again. They both felt like they could do this for the rest of time and never get tired of it. 

The end credits for the show they had been watching played and then there was silence. Jean sat up on his elbow and looked at the TV to see Netflix asking if they were still watching. Jeremy laughed so hard he knocked Jean’s arm out from under him and sent him tumbling down onto his chest. Jean had to laugh too. Never in his life had he lost track of time like that. Kissing Jeremy felt timeless, like no more than a minute had passed, and yet it had been at least two hours. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Talk to me on Tumblr](https://autumnalpalmetto.tumblr.com/)


	4. baths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ❝ a prompt: jerejean taking baths together BEFORE dating ❞

After a particularly hard practice, coach sent Jean in to take an ice bath. It was a perfectly normal activity for athletes, one that helped them recoup and restore their energy. A normal activity that was ruined by the nest. Jean had sworn off ice baths when he came to the Trojans, and so far no one had fought him on it. Until today.

Coach told the nurse, who started filling the bath without even thinking about it. Any other athlete on the team would just follow behind like a good little puppy, but Jean wasn’t any other athlete on the team. He stopped short in the doorway, frozen as he watched the woman fill the tub with ice and water.

Jeremy walked over to him with his friends, shooing them off when he caught a look at Jean’s face. Alvarez tried to protest, and Jeremy sent her one of his patented captains looks. The one that said, “I’m being nice now, don’t test me”. She went on her way without looking back at them, but Jeremy still waited until everyone else was in the locker room to speak.

“Problem?” he asked gently.

He was always too gentle for Jean’s tastes. No man was that gentle by nature, not if he was being honest.

“I don’t do ice baths,” Jean said. He had to answer a question from his captain, however, he didn’t have to explain his answer.

Jeremy started to explain the benefits, stopping halfway through when he finally saw through Jean’s mask. No one else could tell, they just thought Jean was a dick on purpose, but Jeremy always knew the difference between something’s wrong and Jean’s being antagonistic, even if it took him a moment to catch on.

“Okay,” Jeremy said slowly. He ran his hand through his sweat-covered hair as he thought. “Okay. Hmm. Okay so, how about this? I’ll take one with you.”

“Excuse me?” Jean said, taken aback.

There was no point in trying to figure Jeremy out. It never worked. Somehow he always did the opposite of what Jean expected him to, and just when he began to expect that, Jeremy went off and did a third thing instead.

“Well, you don’t like ice baths, so having someone share your misery might help?” Jeremy grimaced, making a face at Jean. “Or something? I don’t know, man, I just think it won’t be so bad if you’re not alone.”

Jean looked Jeremy in the eye. “That’s the problem, I wasn’t alone in the past. That’s why I don’t like them.”

Jeremy gasped, not asking for details. “Okay, new plan. I’ll clear everyone out and you can have the room to yourself. Completely.”

“No, alone isn’t good. Who watches your back when you’re alone?” Jean took a step back from the door, deciding to skip the bath.

“What would help you feel comfortable here?” Jeremy asked.

It was like he was asking about more than the bath. His question meant here with him, here with the team, here on campus. It meant everything all at once. Jean’s chest felt tight. No one helped him just to help him. Even Wymack when he was with the foxes. The only one who really tried to was the fox nurse Abby, but even then it wasn’t for him, it was to make herself feel better after seeing him. Maybe that’s what Jeremy was doing now?

“Help me,” Jean said after a moment. He wasn’t allowed to say that at the nest. He wasn’t allowed to say that as a child either. Help wasn’t a thing in his life, it never had been.

Jeremy took it in stride. “How? I’ll help you in any way that I can, Jean, all you have to do is tell me how.”

Jean took a deep breath, the kind his new therapist told him to. “Take it with me.”

“I already said I would,” Jermey said, tilting his head to the side. He still didn’t get it.

“No,” Jean said slowly. “In the tub with me. Sit in the same tub. Watch my back.”

Jeremy shrugged like it was no big deal. “Sure.”

He walked into the room and stripped off his jersey, working on his padding next. His back was muscular and plain, no scars in sight. Jean watched the muscles work with every movement of his arms. It gave him something to focus on other than the impending doom of taking an ice bath. Jean told himself he was only looking because Jeremy’s skin was a pure, bank canvas, but he knew better. Jeremy was pretty, and there was no one to catch him looking. Once he his gear off, Jeremy turned around and shot Jean a questioning look.

“Are you coming?”

Jean shoved off from the wall and walked over, making his footsteps heavier than they needed to be. He did not stomp, but it was close. He copied Jeremy, taking his jersey off and then his padding, but he was much kinder to the gear. Jeremy threw his on a pile on the floor, while Jean neatly stacked his. Treating equipment poorly was a recipe for disaster at the nest.

Jeremy watched him do it when he was down to just his boxers. He had a critical eye, always noticing the little quirks Jean picked up at the nest, he was neat by nature so it was hard to tell the difference between nest training and personal preference, but Jeremy always knew the difference somehow. Jean thought it had something to do with his expression while he did it.

“Knock it over,” Jeremy said when Jean finished.

Jean looked up at him, shocked. “Excuse me? No.”

“Knock it over,” Jeremy repeated. “Nothing bad will happen I promise.”

The two stared each other down. Both standing in the middle of an empty medical room in front of a full ice bath in their boxers. Jeremy took one step closer to him, and Jean stood his ground.

“Why not?” Jeremy tapped the pile with his foot. “Why, Jean? It practice gear, this isn’t even game gear, it’s meant to get ruined. Knock it over.”

They were inches apart, it would be easier to knock Jeremy into the bath than it would be to disrespect his gear. Jena thought about doing it knowing Jeremy would let him get away with it, even if it was just to prove a point. Instead, he looked down toward the gear.

Riko was dead, there was no one to get him in trouble, even if they tried Jeremy had told him to do it, he would be the one to face the punishment. And Jeremy’s the captain, no one would get him in trouble for something as silly as knocking over some gear. Before he had even made up his mind, Jean’s reached his foot out and knocked the pile over. His helmet skidded a few feet while everything else slumped over in a slightly less neat pile. Jean looked at the pile in shock.

Jeremy’s face lit up like a beacon. “You fucking did it, Jean. You actually knocked it over. Nice job.”

“Why are you celebrating?” Jean raised an eyebrow. Jeremy made no sense on a good day, he was even worse now.

“I’m celebrating because every single thing you do, every little piece of rebellion like this, is a piece of yourself you are taking back from them, Jean. You did something you’re not allowed to do, you took another piece of yourself back.”

Jeremy patted him on the shoulder and climbed into the tub without looking back. He hissed when his foot hit the water, but once he was submerged he relaxed into it.

“Come on, Jean,” Jeremy said playfully, “I haven’t got all day.”

Jean walked around to the other side and climbed in slowly. The tub was big, made for large athletes, but fitting two grown men into it was a stretch. Jeremy laughed when Jean displaced some ice and water, sending it crashing to the floor. Jean put his feet in between Jeremy’s spread legs and leaned back against the freezing metal like Jeremy was.

They were on opposite sides of the tub facing each other, which was too intimate for him. When he had asked for this Jean had been so sure Jeremy would say no he hadn’t thought this far ahead, there was nothing for him to do now other than look at Jeremy’s bare chest over the line of ice. They were half naked in a tub together, Jean had had a dream like this once, but it took a very pleasant instead of just sitting in silence. Jeremy slid down farther into the tub, sending more water cascading out. His laugh filled the room as he wiggled to get it to happen again. They hadn’t counted on two people being in the tub when they had filled it.

“Come on Jean,” Jeremy said with a giggle playing at his voice. “You have to admit this is fun. Cold, but fun.”

Jean took a deep breath. “Better than I remember it being.”

Jeremy pulled his hands out of the ice water and clapped them together. “Perfect. Better than last time is a big improvement. Now, all we have to do is make next time even better than this one.”

“Next time?” Jean asked.

“Well, now that I know there’s a way to get you into an ice bath I’m going to suggest it more often.”

Jean threw Jeremy a glare and tilted his head back until it was resting on the ledge. They spent the rest of their bath in silence, then headed back into the locker room to take cold showers. It was annoying to do both, but there was no soap or shampoo in the medical rooms, and Jean desperately needed soap after a workout. They showered on opposite sides of the empty room, the team long gone. Not because it was awkward between them now, but because they always used the same showers with the team and choosing different ones seemed like the weirder option.

On the way out of the locker room, Jeremy patted Jean on the back. “Congrats, you took a big step today, man.”

“Congratulating someone on a basic daily task seems a bit ridiculous,” Jean said in reply.

“Maybe, maybe not. I’m doing it, anyway.”

As they separated outside, Jean secretly looked forward to the next time they forced him to take an ice bath.


	5. speaking french

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jerejean talking in french to each other in front of other people for prompts

Jeremy just happened to have taken four years of French in school and decided to continue taking classes in college. After all, knowing two languages was a very useful skill. Having spent the last six years learning French in a classroom Jeremy thought he was pretty good, not great, but he knew enough to order at a restaurant and ask for directions, the things he would need if he ever traveled there. 

When Jean moved in with him he thought it would be helpful, speaking French with Jean might help him feel better about his new environment. Jeremy hadn’t expected to be bad at French. He was the top in his class, had the largest vocabulary, and was getting better every ingle day. The problem was Jean talked too fast, with too many new words in every sentence. Jeremy could get the jist of it most of the time, but he was nowhere close to being able to hold a conversation. 

“You speak like a child,” Jean said one night during a conversation in French when Jeremy was actually holding his own for once. 

He was constantly correcting Jeremy’s pronunciation and judging how he sounded like a textbook instead of a real person.

“All of our conversation are so formal,” Jean continued in English so Jeremy would understand him completely.

Jeremy ran his hand over his cheek nervously. “If it’s too annoying, we can just use English. I only want to help. If this doesn’t help, then there’s no reason to keep doing it.”

“Help?” Jean laughed. “You are helping me? No, no, no, Jer. I am helping you.”

Jeremy flopped down on his bed. “Am I that bad?”

“For an American?” Jean looked at him with his lips pursed. “No, you’re doing quite well.”

“Why are you always correcting then?” Jeremy propped his head up with his hand. 

Since they had started dating a few months ago, Jean had been even more insistent on correcting every mistake he made. 

Jean got up and walked over to Jeremy’s bed, sitting down next to him and running his hand through his hair. “To help you. You told me you want to be fluent, yes?”

Jeremy nodded, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. 

“Okay then, I’ll keep helping you.” Jean leaned back, squishing Jeremy in the process. “From now on we only speak French in this room, language immersion will help you.”

The first few days were rough, Jean refused to slow down when he spoke, and Jeremy couldn’t keep up. However, within a week he found himself understanding thing he hadn’t before. Jean was patient with him, always explaining things and repeating when necessary, which helped. 

A month after they started doing this, Jeremy had an oral exam. His teacher was so impressed she held him back after class to ask about it. When Jeremy told her he was living with a French man who refused to use English, she laughed and said she’d like to meet him. Jean refused to talk to her, but it was nice to know the improvement wasn’t just in his imagination. 

“Move night in my room,” Jeremy said after practice that day. 

They had a weekly movie night and rotated hosts every week. With how large the team was, it took a couple months to come back around. Everyone gathered in their living room. It was too small for the whole team, but it wasn’t a mandatory event and only half of them showed up any given week. Jeremy always went because it was his job to make sure they didn’t get out of control, and Jean always went because Jeremy did. 

“Pass me the popcorn,” Jean said in French.

Jeremy was so used to hearing the language in his own room that he didn’t think it was odd until Alvarez looked at him. 

A few minutes later Jean leaned closer and started whispering about the movie in French. He criticized everything from the costuming to the body language, as he always did. It was the first time Jeremy was able to keep up with what he was saying and reply to it. Alvarez kept hitting his leg and shushing him, only to wink at him when he looked at her. 

When the movie ended Alvarez stayed behind to help clean up, they had a rule that the team had to clean up to thank the hosts. She took her time gathering up soda cans and empty bowls of popcorn, Jeremy caught her looking over at him every couple of minutes as he spoke with Jean in French. They were discussing the movie, or Jean was and Jeremy was trying to keep up. Jean was very critical of movies, always wanting to talk about them after and discuss what was good and what was not. 

“Hey cap,” Alvarez called out.

Jeremy rolled his eyes and sighed at he turned toward her. “Yes?”

Jean patted back and went into the bedroom to get ready for bed, leaving them alone together.

“As cute as it is to see you two flirting, you really shouldn’t do it in front of the team,” Alvarez teased. “The French language really is romantic tough isn’t it?”

“What?” Jeremy froze. “You think we were flirting? We were just talking about the movie.”

Alvarez winked at him. “Sure cap, I’ll keep your secret.”

“Jean,” Jeremy called out. “Tell Alvarez we weren’t flirting.”

Jean appeared in the door way, looking between them. “Who said I wasn’t flirting?”

“Ha. You can’t keep things from me, Cap, I see everything.” Alvarez clapped her hands together. “Also half the team saw, and I’m sure everyone knows by now, anyway.”

“We were talking about the movie, Sarah,” Jeremy said sternly. 

Neither he nor Jean liked other people butting their way into their relationship. 

“That is true,” Jean said with a nod. “I can talk about movies and flirt at the same time though.”

Jeremy laughed. “Of course you can. Alvarez, I don’t want to hear anything about this at practice tomorrow, okay? We weren’t flirting. Jean made a rule that we can only speak French in our room to help me get better.”

“Sure thing, Cap.”

Alvarez left a few minutes later, after finishing up. Their room looked cleaner than it had in weeks. Jean liked things neat and tidy, but Jeremy was a slob at heart and it was difficult to find a middle ground between them at times. Jean tended to let things slide when Jeremy was stressed about school or the team.

The next day there were no comments from the team about them speaking French, no one mentioned it at all. It was almost too quiet until Laila said that Alvarez threatened them with extra laps, claiming Jeremy had made the threat himself. Jean laughed when he heard that Jeremy rarely made the team run laps unless everyone had acted out on the same day. 

As Jeremy got more comfortable with the language, Jean started making his speech more complex. He threw words in that Jeremy had never heard of, but he could figure them out from context more of the time. 

“I’m proud of you,” Jean said one night as they snuggled together in bed. “Would you be comfortable speaking French outside of our room?”

Jeremy rubbed his nose on Jean’s jaw. “Sounds good to me.”

While Jeremy had been fine with it in the safety of their own room, he was less sure the next morning. As they entered the lunchroom, Jean was talking a mile a minute about the new essay his professor assigned him. It was too fast for Jeremy to keep up with while he was walking and picking out food. He asked Jean to slow down, blushing as he did. It had been awhile since he had needed to do that.

At the table, it impressed the entire team; they didn’t even notice that Jean was speaking lower than normal or that Jeremy stumbled over some of his words. 

“Cap,” a backliner yelled from across the table. “Since when do you speak French?”

Alvarez patted Jeremy on the back. “Caps been learning French since he was like fourteen.”

“Not well,” Jeremy said as he tried to hide his blush. “Jean’s been teaching me.”

“He’s improving very quickly,” Jean said with a small smile. 

Everyone cheered. 

“Yeah, Jeremy, get it.” Laila yelled.

The team started laughing as Jean patted him on the back. Jeremy felt his blush spread. 

“What were you two talking about, anyway?” Alvarez asked. “Something hot? It sounded hot.”

Jeremy coughed. “No, no, we were talking about essays.”

Jean leaned back in his chair, looking smug. “Oh, is that what you were talking about? That’s not what I was talking about.”

“Jean!” Jeremy said in shock.

Half the team cheered. 

“I knew it!” Alvarez shouted. 

There was no point in correcting them when Jean was playing along, so he sat back and let them have their fun.


	6. gifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a prompt: jeremy gives jean little gifts all the time

When Jean came to the Trojans he was used to two things:

  1. Other people cleaning up after him. From people cooking his meals and washing his clothes, to teammates cleaning the court when they failed at practice. Jean rarely had to clean anything for himself, except the three weeks Josten was around. 
  2. Himself being the only safe person around. He knew he was the only person he could count on. 

When Jean came to the Trojans, he found himself in a sort of culture shock. Suddenly he had to learn how to clean a bathroom, do his own laundry, cook meals, and find things to occupy his time. Being forced to room with Jeremy meant he was able to learn most of these things from observing him. Jeremy never commented on being watched like he was the most interesting thing that Jean had ever seen. They both knew it was going to be an adjustment, and Jeremy didn’t seem to mind the extra attention. He almost seemed to enjoy it, like he knew Jean was learning from him and not judging him as he watched him start a load of laundry. 

For the first team meeting, Jeremy came in with a tea from Starbucks, it was a simple green tea with nothing added. A waste of a trip to a coffee shop in Jean’s opinion. When Jean sat down next to Jeremy, his assigned seat, Jeremy handed the tea to him with no fuss. Jean looked down at the tea and back up at Jeremy, waiting for him to take it back. 

“For your nerves,” Jeremy whispered to him. 

They were just doing a quick meeting to introduce all the new players before practice started in a few days. Now that everyone was on campus and getting settled into their rooms, they needed to get to know each other. Jean looked down at the tea again. No one had ever given him something for no reason, everything they gave him was for show his entire life. He needed to look nice, so they gave him a suit, or he needed to be well-read so they gave him a book.

“Why?” 

“Why not?” Jeremy smiled at him. “It’s your favorite.”

Jean slowly raised the cup to his mouth as Jeremy watched him closely. It was his favorite tea, but he didn’t realize that Jeremy had been watching him that closely. Jeremy went through life like it was all fun and games. Seeing that he paid attention to what was happening around him surprised Jean. 

The following Monday, Jeremy handed Jean a brand new ADIDAS tracksuit, no team branding, just plain black. Coach had given all the new players the same set in team colors at the meeting. That was the kind of gift Jean was used to, it had a real purpose. This gift was concerning. 

“What’s this for?” Jean asked. 

“Hmm?” Jeremy was packing his bag, ignoring that Jean froze when he was handed the outfit. “You don’t have to wear team workout gear to the gym, wear whatever you want to. I thought you might like something a little more plain.”

Jean looked down at the joggers and jacket, they were thin enough to wear in the gym that always had the AC blasting and still workout without getting too hot. He looked at the tags and found they were even the right size. 

“Why?”

“Because you only have to wear team colors on game days, any other time you can wear what you want to. Hell, we don't even wear team colors for practice half the time, we have multiple sets of practice jerseys and two of them are gray.” Jeremy zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Come on, I’ll hear about it for a month if I’m late to the first practice.”

Jean shoved the clothes in his own bag and zipped it, jogging to catch up with Jeremy on the way to the gym.

In the locker room most of the guys were putting on gym clothes from their high schools or even middle schools, so Jean put on his new joggers and a plain black t-shirt. He was glad Jeremy warned him because being the only person wearing team colors in the entire gym would have drawn unwanted attention. With the Ravens everything they own had been in team colors, with the team insignia on it. He would have been lucky to even get a plain white shirt there. Jean was uncomfortable with Jeremy giving him a gift he couldn’t pay back, but he was thankful he had been so thoughtful.

There were optional team meetings, ones they required only the senior players to attend, where Jeremy talked over new plays he came up with and they decided if the group decided how well they would work out, and how to implement them. Jean wasn’t required to come, but it beat sitting alone in his room all day, so he did. 

As he walked in Jeremy lit up, then dug around in his bag. He tossed Jean an apple without pausing his speech to his teammates. Jean stared at the apple, there was no way for Jeremy to know he had skipped lunch because he had no one to go with while Jeremy was busy setting up for the meeting. After explaining his play, Jeremy listened while everyone critiqued it. Jean kept his opinions to himself, he would tell Jeremy what he thought about it in private, people on the team already thought he was a grumpy hard-ass, there was no need to make it worse by judging their beloved captain in front of them. Jeremy caught his eye and pointed at the apple, mouthing the word eat. 

Jean slowly took a bite, making Jeremy smile at him before turning back and listening to everyone. Jean finished the apple just as everyone was getting up to leave. Jeremy came and stood by him as he said his thanks to his friends for their help. 

“Why?” Jean asked.

“Why did I give you an apple? Because you don’t go to the cafeteria without me, so I doubt you ate lunch yet.” Jeremy turned toward the door. “We can get you a real meal now, that was just to tide you over.”

Jean followed behind Jeremy as he walked away. Why did it matter if he skipped one meal, they skipped a lot of meals at the nest, as long as he ate enough calories to bulk up and play well no one cared. 

“You need to eat Jean,” Jeremy said without looking back, he knew Jean was following him like he always did. “You are allowed to eat whenever you want, but since you’re not comfortable with that yet, it’s my job to make sure you do.”

Every week at the strategic meetings Jeremy had some sort of snack to throw Jean, even after he started going to the cafeteria alone.

As they got closer, the little gifts came more often. Jeremy would grab Jean a cup of coffee in the morning or an extra piece of fruit on the way out of the cafeteria. Jeremy didn’t even know he was doing it. He was the most thoughtful person Jean had ever met, and it was second nature to him. He didn’t even have to think about it, he just grabbed something for Jean. 

Whenever Jean tried to give him something in return, it was always an awkward experience. He had to think long and hard about what he could even give Jeremy, and then when he came up with something it was never good enough. When he finally decided to give Jeremy movie tickets, Jeremy dragged him along too, making it less of a gift and more of one of their regular outings. They had not raised Jean to think about anything other than protecting himself, and he found it unsettling that Jeremy could think of him so easily. 

Jeremy gave other people on the team gifts too, for birthdays and big events, but Jean was the only person he gave gifts to regularly, and not on an occasion. 

One day Jeremy came home from a mall trip and threw a new jacket at Jean. It was the softest thing Jean had ever felt. When he asked why Jeremy simply said it made him think of him. Like it was that easy. Something reminded him of Jean, so he bought it, disregarding the cost. 

When they started dating, the little gifts continued like nothing had changed, they didn’t get more romantic, not that Jean wanted them to. 

Maybe he did want them to, a little bit. 

“Jean,” Jeremy said as he walked in the door after his last class of the day. 

It was the end of the term and they were getting ready for a relaxing summer vacation after finals the following week. Jean was going to visit Jeremy’s home for the entire break. They had two months off and nothing to do except enjoy the time without exy, which Jean had banned from even being mentioned. He had never gone a day in his life without talking about exy, and he wanted to see what it was like. 

“Jean,” Jeremy called again.

Jean was sitting on Jeremy’s bed, reading his textbook in front of their lovely window overlooking the volleyball courts. Jeremy smiled when he walked in the room and sat him sitting there. 

“Hello, lovely.” Jeremy plopped down on the bed, making Jean bounce. “I got you something.”

Jean kept his eyes focused on his textbook, though he wasn’t focusing on the words at all. “You always have something for me.”

Jeremy put his hand over the page. “This one is special, come on.”

Jean shut the book on Jeremy’s hand and looked up at him, pretending to be annoyed. Somewhere along the line, Jeremy had learned the difference from Jean’s real annoyed face and his fake one. Jeremy lit up, smiling so brightly that Jean couldn’t help but smile in return. 

“Up, come on.” Jeremy took his hand out of the book and used it to pull Jean off of the bed. Despite being shorter, he was plenty strong enough to drag Jean behind him. 

“What is it?” Jean asked bitterly. He was still dealing with feeling like he owed Jeremy every time he gave him something, even if it was a little thing like an apple. 

In the living room, a fancy bag sat on the coffee table. Jeremy made Jena sit on the couch without looking inside of it. Once he was settled, Jeremy sat on the coffee table across from him and opened the bag. 

“My parents live on a bit of a farm,” Jeremy said with a smile, fiddling with whatever was in the bag. “Which you already know, so I got you some farm clothes.”

Jean raised an eyebrow and let Jeremy continue on. Jeremy was blushing more than Jean had ever seen him before, it was so adorable he almost kissed him. He wanted to forget whatever was in the bag and take Jeremy back to their bedroom. 

“Okay, so…” Jeremy said, stalling. “First is a pair of boots, because farms are dirty.”

He pulled out a pair of plain-looking work boots, which probably cost more than they needed to. Jean took them, examining them before slipping his foot in. They fit perfectly, like everything Jeremy had ever gotten him had. 

“And a pair of wrangler jeans,” Jeremy said as he tossed the jeans at Jean. 

He took the boot off, then slid his sweats off and pulled the jeans on. Jeremy swallowed as he watched Jean pull the tight denim up, it was tighter on his butt than most of the pants he wore, but after watching cowboy movies Jean knew it was supposed to be that way.

Jeremy licked his lips. 

“What’s next?” Jean asked just to tease him.

“Hmm…” Jeremy blushed even deeper, turning his face and neck a lovely red color. “Umm… I have a shirt too.”

Jean pulled off his shirt in a swift motion, enjoying watching Jeremy track the movement with his eyes, then dug the plaid short-sleeved shirt out of the bag while Jeremy was too busy staring at his abs to help. He slowly unbuttoned the shirt and put it on. Jeremy only let him get half of the buttons done up before he was pulling Jean in for a kiss and undoing them himself. 

“Now I’m a real farmer,” Jean said against Jeremy’s mouth. 

Jeremy nodded, too out of breath to reply. Jean kissed him again, then pulled back and sat on the couch, pushing Jeremy away when he tried to follow. 

“If you get off on dressing me up, you might as well enjoy the view,” Jean teased.

Jeremy groaned. “I can enjoy the view all summer, right now I want to enjoy those being on my floor.” 

**Author's Note:**

> [Originally from my Tumblr](https://autumnalpalmetto.tumblr.com)


End file.
